Boy, 13, thought pistol unloaded

A 13-year-old Fargo boy who died from a gunshot wound Saturday removed the pistol that killed him from a locked safe, authorities said Tuesday.

Jerrid Allen Swedberg died in an accidental shooting after "twirling and spinning" a loaded .22-caliber pistol in his hand, Becker County Sheriff Tim Gordon said.

Swedberg, an eighth-grader at Fargo's Ben Franklin Junior High School, likely didn't know the pistol was loaded, the sheriff said.

The gun, which had seven live rounds and two empty chambers in it at the time, fired a bullet, striking Swedberg in the head and killing him instantly, Gordon said.

Swedberg was visiting a relative living on White Earth Lake in northern Becker County.

The boy's uncle keeps several firearms in a safe, but Swedberg knew where the key was stored, Gordon said.

White Earth and Becker County authorities received a report of the shooting at 11:57 p.m. at 37450 Little White Earth Lake Road. The home is east of the town of White Earth on the White Earth Indian Reservation.

The boy's uncle, Chad Swedberg, lives in the home, along with girlfriend Leslie Fain, Gordon said.

Both adults were home at the time of the shooting but in a different part of the house, Gordon said.

A 16-year-old boy was in a bedroom with Jerrid Swedberg and told him to put away the gun, Gordon said.

"Jerrid started to play with the pistol, twirling and spinning the pistol around," the older boy told police.

Gordon said it is unclear when the gun was loaded, but other firearms found in the safe were unloaded.

Earlier on Saturday, Fain told Swedberg he should not handle firearms, according to Gordon.

Authorities took Swedberg to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner in St. Paul. Sheriff's officials said their initial investigation shows the shooting was an accident and foul play isn't suspected.

Reports will be forwarded to the Becker County Attorney's Office, but Gordon said he doesn't expect charges to be filed.

Swedberg enjoyed hunting and fishing and spending time at the lake, according to an obituary. The same night of the shooting, he attended a waterfowl banquet, Gordon said.

The boy's parents are Susan Swedberg of Fargo and Gerald Hurt of West Fargo. They could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday in Wright Funeral Home, Moorhead.

On Monday, school counselors at Ben Franklin met with Swedberg's classmates to tell them about his death.

Gordon advises gun owners to use locks, which make the gun inoperable, and store the keys separately.

The Becker County Sheriff's Department recently received 1,000 gun locks that are available to the public for free.

"Becker County is rural in nature," Gordon said. "It's got a longstanding foundation of hunting, and with that there are going to be firearm accidents."

See obituary on page B5.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590